|By Alaa Al Ghamdi| One of the most common distinctions made in the discourse of international relations is that of hard versus soft power. Hard power refers to traditional modes of influencing international relations through force, such as through military might or economic power (such as withholding a critical natural resource like oil). Soft power refers to cultural power, such as the arts, intellectual ideas, and tourism. Saudi […]
|By Matein Khalid| US and global equities surged on news of the US House of Representatives pass the tax reform bill, Cisco and Walmart posted blowout earnings and a potential bidding war emerged for Fox’s media assets. The rally on Thursday followed a week of carnage in the US high yield debt markets, flattening of the US Treasury yield curve and losses in the major stock market indices worldwide. […]
|By Arabian Post Staff|Saudi Arabia’s freezing of bank accounts is credit negative for banks, Moody’s said in a review. On 8 November, the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA) froze a large number of bank accounts belonging to princes, ministers and businessmen who were arrested as part of an investigation by a new anti-corruption committee that began on 4 November. The rating agency said these actions are credit […]
|By Arabian Post Staff| In a major endorsement to Saudi economic reforms initiated by Crown Prince Mohammad Salman, a top executive of American financial giant Bank of America Merrill Lynch said Saudi Arabia’s economic transformation will be “unstoppable” and there has already been a positive shift in the Kingdom’s business culture. Hootan Yazhari, managing director of the bank’s Dubai-based research department, said there are key moves being […]
|By Arabian Post Staff| An estimated $100 billion has been involved in the systematic corruption and embezzlement |that plagued Saudi Arabia over several decades, Saud Al Mojeb, the kingdom’s Attorney General and member of the Supreme Anti-Corruption Committee, announced. The disclosure came in a statement on the status of the anti-corruption proceedings, which are moving forward There is strong evidence that confirms initial suspicions, which led Saudi […]
|By K Raveendran| The arrest of wealthy Saudi prince Al Waleed, whose investments ranging from Citibank to Apple to Twitter, making him the most high profile Arab investor on the global stage, may involve more than internal power struggle within the Saudi ruling establishment and the new Crown Prince’s spirited fight against corruption. Al Waleed may have paid a heavy price for his spat with Donald Trump […]
|By Arabian Post Staff| In an unprecedented move against corruption at high places Saudi Arabia’s King Salman removed the chief of the National Guard,along with 10 other princes, and replaced the the Economy Minister. The king also constituted anti-corruption panel, headed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to prevent corrupt practices by those in the authority. Al-Arabiya news channel reported that 11 princes and dozens of former […]
|By Matein Khalid|Emaar Properties will sell 20% of its UAE development portfolio in an initial public offering in November. This is the first IPO in the UAE capital markets in the last three years and follows bellwether offerings such as Emaar Malls and Emaar Misr. Emaar’s Dubai development’s adjusted net value is 24.1 UAE dirhams and I would not be surprised if the post IPO revalues the […]
|By Arabian Post Staff|Saudi Arabia has indicated it is ready to back extension of an oil production cut agreement led by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in order to balance global crude oil supply and demand. This was indicated by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in a statement. He said the high demand for oil has absorbed the increase in shale oil production. He said the demand […]
|By Arabian Post Staff| Non-resident foreign investors will be able to invest directly in Saudi Arabia’s parallel market called NOMU meant for small and medium sized enterprises starting from January next, Mohammed El-Kuwaiz, chairman of the Capital Market Authority (CMA) announced at the investment summit in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia’s reforms to develop and open up its capital markets are part of Vision 2030, an economic reform plan […]
|By Arabian Post Staff||Emaar Properties chairman Mohamed Alabbar said he is keen to do further business with Saudi Arabia, and offered to help in the development of the $500 billion Neom project. “It’s a big, exciting thing. If they call on us (Emaar), we would look on that positively. The Middle East as a whole is very short on infrastructure, and the project is a very significant […]
|By Arabian Post Staff|Emaar Chairman Mohamed Alabbar said that the new digital marketplace Noon, founded by him, will be rollled out in Saudi Arabia before the end of this year. He was addressing a media briefing with Faraz Khalid, Chief Executive Officer of Noon, on the sidelines of the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh. Headquartered in Riyadh, Noon is a joint venture with the Public Investment Fund […]
|By Arabian Post Staff|Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman put the kingdom somewhat in the ‘Dubai mode’ announcing the launch of an initiative backed by more than $500 billion investment to transformation of the kingdom into a leading global hub through the introduction of value chains of industry and technology. The plan, known as Neom, spires to make the country the “safest, most efficient, most future oriented, […]
|By Arabian Post Staff|Saudi Arabia is holding one of its most important investment summits ever, named the Future Investment Initiative (FII), considered to be game-changing forum in Riyadh. The landmark event is being attended by more than 2,500 delegates and internationally-renowned business and investment leaders from over 60 countries. The three-day event will explore new trends, opportunities, challenges and emerging industries that will shape the world economy and […]
|By Arabian Post Staff|The Saudi government is not in talks with Chinese or other investors to sell a stake in Aramco, CEO Amin Nasser clarified. Aramco was reported to be planning to list nearly five percent of its shares in the stock market, which may now be done through an IPO. Nasser dismissed reports that the oil giant’s plans could be shelved and confirmed that the offfering […]
|By Arabian Post Staff| Emaar Properties announced an IPO, offering 20 per cent of Emaar Development, the company’ development unit to investors. The size off the IPO size is lower than what the market had anticipated, which was at least 10 percent higher. The listing will take place in November on the Dubai Financial Market. “The IPO of our UAE development business will allow potential investors an […]
|By Arabian Post Staff| Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has announced the establishment of the Saudi Real Estate Refinance Company (SRC) to improve the performance of the real estate market, increase its contribution to GDP, and raise the rate of homeownership among Saudis to 52% by the end of 2020. Demand for real estate financing in the Kingdom is expected to increase from SAR 280 billion […]
|By Arabian Post Staff| The Ministry of Finance is still in the process of developing the executive regulations of the Value Added Tax, and the rateon on all taxable and exempt goods, exports and services have not yet been finalised. Younis Haji Al-Khouri, under-secretary in the ministry of finance, said in a statement that the ministry is working to ensure maximum disclosure and transparency before announciung the […]
|By Arabian Post Staff| TV is the most popular news medium in Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, a recent study by the Northwestern University in Qatar has revealed that. When asked about how they stay informed about the latest news in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and United Arab Emirates, more than 75% of nationals reported watching television each day rather than relying […]
|By Arabian Post Staff| Japanese retailer Daiso opened at Bawabat Al Sharq Mall in Abu Dhabi this week. The newly opened store is the 11th store in Abu Dhabi and the 32nd in the UAE, bringing the total count in the GCC region to 49. The store is located on the first floor of the mall, opposite the Food Court, and boasts of 4,500 square feet. Daiso […]
|By K Raveendran| Virgin boss Richard Branson recently went on a voyage to Arabia’s past, which he claims helped him discover an incredibly exciting time in Saudi Arabia’s history. The visit also turned out to be an inspiration for him to announce a major investment in a luxury tourism project aiming to transform a stretch of Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast into a hub for high-end holidaymakers. […]
|By Arabian Post Staff| EFS Facilities Services, a regional leader in delivering integrated facilities management services across the Middle East, Africa, South Asia, announced that the company has sustained its growth momentum by securing contracts worth AED 1 Billion across its operating regions. The company was awarded key contracts in its biggest markets i.e. UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, and Egypt, for both public and private sector clients […]
|By F R Chowdhury| Myanmar (previously known as Burma) is a vast country of 676,550 sq. km. or 261,217 sq. miles on the north-east coast of Bay of Bengal. Basically it is between Bangladesh and Thailand though it has also long common border with India and China. Its population is only about 49 million. Majority are Buddhists. Next large population is ethnic Bengali Muslims and a small percentage […]
|By Arabian Post Staff|New issues for the remainder of 2017 are estimated to be in excess of USD 20 billion, as a result of favourable market conditions, according to Fisch Asset Management. An encouraging landscape for new bond issuances in the GCC will likely see a USD sovereign deal between Saudi and Bahrain, while Oman is anticipated to confirm new issues, depending on the size of deficits. […]
